Conventional surgery relies on opening the overlying skin and other tissues to expose the diseased organ or tissue which is then excised or repaired. The body regions and overlying tissues are subsequently closed. One typical conventional surgery procedure, cholecystectomy, generally includes removal of the gallbladder with contained gallstones. Cholecystectomies also are performed on diseased gallbladders when gallstones are not present. Another conventional surgical procedure is the appendectomy, which may be performed once acute inflammation of the appendix is checked. This, of course, prevents future inflammation, since the appendix is physically removed.
It is known to impair organ function to mimic a disease's effect on organ function using ultrasound. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,766. Combined ultrasound/chemotherapy treatment of cancerous tumors is also known. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,070.